With a second generation 48V-to-load direct conversion technology, up to 91.3% efficiency can be achieved in a cost-effective way
To deliver increased efficiency and meet today’s high power needs, here’s presenting the BMR482, a direct conversion isolated DC-DC converter from Flex Power Modules. The module can directly convert from a 48 V supply to the load voltage without an intermediate stage, suitable for data centres and cloud computing.
The BMR482 can achieve up to 91.3% efficiency with a 0.8 V output at 53 Vin, a 2% to 3% improvement than equivalent solutions based on an intermediate bus converter (IBC) and point of load (PoL). The single-stage BMR482 also takes up to 50% less board space than a conventional two-stage solution, helping reduce overall costs.
The new converter includes a digital interface for monitoring, configuration and control, and can deliver a maximum output current of 110 A. Addition of up to five modules enables a higher output current of 660 A. Automatic control by the main unit (depending on the output current drawn) leads to an optimised efficiency across the entire current range dynamically.
Designed for server applications, the BMR482 has an input range of 40-60 V, allowing operation with supplies nominally rated at 48 V or 54 V. It has a programmable 0.5-1.35 V output voltage, and the main power train has 1500V isolation from input to output.
The BMR482 is compliant with the PMBus v1.3, AVSBus and Intel SVID interfaces, offering complete digital control. Support from Flex Power Designer software tool makes power system design easier and quicker.
Fast load transient response, high current monitoring accuracy, excellent thermal performance and optimal cooling in terms of terminals, footprint and component placement are some of the other features of the new converter. Since reliability is a critical factor in such applications, the BMR482 offers a mean time between failure (MTBF) of over 13.1M hours.
Olle Hellgren, Director Product Management and Business Development at Flex Power Modules, said: “Today’s data centres are testing the limits of conventional IBC/PoL architectures, with up to 3kW or 4kW required per board. The BMR482 solves this problem by converting directly from the 48V or 54V system bus voltage to the PoL voltage, which is typically less than 2V.”
Measuring up to 30 mm x 12.7 mm x 15.4 mm, the BMR482 will be available in July 2021 with samples available now.
